National Flag of Singapore
Country: Republic of Singapore
Singapore Flag Description:
The flag of Singapore consists of two equal-sized horizontal stripes - the top stripe is red and the bottom one is white. On the left hand side of the red stripe there is a white crescent moon with five white, five-pointed stars to its right.
Singapore Flag Meaning:
The red represents universal brotherhood and equality of man and the white stands for purity and virtue. The crescent moon, symbolizes the young nation of Singapore on the rise and the five stars represent the country's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
Singapore Flag History:
The Singapore flag was adopted on December 3, 1959. Singapore gained independence from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. In 1963, Singapore joined with Malaya, North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia but left in 1959.
Interesting Singapore Facts:
The Singapore flag was originally designed with three stars, until the country's leaders expressed concern that Singapore might be perceived to be associated with the Malayan Communist Party, as their flag also had three stars. The Singapore flag was also meant to be red, as red is a very traditional Chinese color and the majority of Singapore's population is Chinese, but the idea was scrapped as red was associated with communism.
The British Union Jack flew over Singapore for 140 years, from 1819 to 1959.